Hey guys in this video we'll take a look at Prickly Lettuce, or Lactuca serriola. Prickly lettuce is an extremely easy plant to identify and is commonly found along the edges of lawns, roadsides and in fields or clearings. Often growing to a height of 5 feet or more, Prickly Lettuce blooms anywhere from April all the way through August with it numerous yellow ray like flowers. The flowers will have anywhere from 15 to 20 petals and there will be multiple flowers per plant. The leaves grow in an alternate pattern and are deeply lobed, but there are some other variations you'll be likely to find on the plant. The basal leaves in the early spring are usually not lobed but as the plant matures the deeply lobed leaves start to appear. From the ground the leaves are rather large but further up you go they get smaller and will start to lose there lobed shape, turning into an oval or egg shape. This plant gets its name from the stiff spines that run along the midvein on the underside of the leaf and on the margins as well as the stem. After the plant flowers and goes to seed, you'll notice the white fluff with the seeds at the base, a lot like dandelion seeds. The leaves of wild lettuce can be used for food by simply boiling them for a few minutes and treated like spinach greens. The flower buds, before the flowers appear, can be boiled for a few minutes and served like a broccoli. Medicinally this plant is used as a pain reliever and there's various methods to get this effect. One is simply making a tea from the leaves.


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